


In the shade of a tree

by strikedawn



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Just some fluff based on Dejinyucu's art!!, M/M, Mikleo tries to relax but instead almost has his heart bursting from feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 16:17:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9499781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strikedawn/pseuds/strikedawn
Summary: “Sorey…” Mikleo started, narrowing his eyes even more, the book in his lap momentarily forgotten. “—Are you hiding from something?”Or, in which Mikleo just can't catch a break.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short drabble for the sweet [Deji](http://dejinyucu.tumblr.com), who has been cheering me up all through my finals!! Thank you so so much love, NAGLEO (and hugs from Sorey) GAVE ME ALL THE STRENGTH I NEEDED <3<3<3
> 
> The drabble is inspired by [this](http://dejinyucu.tumblr.com/post/151388208877/i-had-the-mind-to-doodle-this-since-last-weekend) artwork from Deji... CHECK OUT HER ART IT'S SERIOUSLY AMAZING KDJFBVQKEJBFVKVB
> 
> I hope you all like it!

“What are you reading?”

Mikleo didn’t even look up from the book in his lap. It was a nice day out—the breeze kept the heat from the sun at bay, but not enough to feel the cold. With not a single cloud in sight, the sky overhead was a beautiful, clear blue, and the grass under Mikleo’s legs was soft and dry.

He had decided to read outside when the barn the Sparrowfeathers used as storage had started to get noisy, finding shelter in the shade of the biggest tree and letting the sun that filtered through the leaves illuminate his reading material. Mikleo should have known Sorey would end up joining him at some point —both of them had grown up in the tranquil mountainsides of Elysia, after all, where the only ruckus there ever was was made by them.

Neither of them was used to being surrounded by so much noise.

“One of the books that Rose had stacked in the back.” Mikleo replied to Sorey’s question, still not moving his eyes from the paper. He scrunched his nose—like a kitten, Sorey would say—, before adding: “A romance novel.”

“Oooh, let me see!”

Sorey, ever the romantic, dropped down next to Mikleo, trying to read over his shoulder. His arm pressed against Mikleo’s, warm and comforting, and Mikleo realized that Sorey wasn’t wearing his Shepherd cloak once again. He usually took it off when they were just moving around, as if he still wasn’t used to the weight of it.

Mikleo wondered if, maybe, it had more to do with the stares he got from the others when he did wear it, half way between awe and distrust.

“ _I’m_ reading it, Sorey.” Mikleo said, moving the book out of Sorey’s reach. The gentle breeze threatened to move the pages of the book. “You can read it once I’m done with it.”

“Aww, come on!” Sorey bemoaned, pushing at Mikleo’s shoulder with his own. He was letting all of his weight rest on it, trying to make Mikleo give in. “Please! You don’t even like romance novels!”

Mikleo shrugged. “It’s not like there’s anything better in there.”

“Okay… Then why don’t you read aloud to me?”

At that, Mikleo did look up, one eyebrow raised. Sorey was already looking at him with a sweet smile, eyes big and begging, sitting so close that Mikleo could feel the warmth emanating from his skin. But Mikleo went from looking inquisitively at Sorey to narrowing his eyes, and he was rewarded with the sight of Sorey’s smile trembling a bit, the corners pulling down slightly.

“Sorey…” Mikleo started, narrowing his eyes even more, the book in his lap momentarily forgotten. “—Are you hiding from something?”

“What? No!” Sorey exclaimed quickly — too quickly. “I just… You know I like it when you read out loud to me…”

“And I also know when you’re hiding something.” Mikleo closed his book without even marking the page, the sound of the hardcovers slamming shut making Sorey wince. “Spill it.”

They looked at each other for a long moment, willing the other to give in, to break. It was always hard to have staring contests with Sorey, whose puppy eyes could make the most hardhearted of men crumble, but Mikleo had had a lot of practice over the years. He simply intensified his stare when Sorey started pouting, and then jabbed his elbow on Sorey’s side, making him squirm.

“Okay, okay.” Sorey relented, rubbing his side. “Geez. You play dirty, Mikleo.”

“Tell me what’s going on, Sorey.”

“…Mikleooooo.” Sorey started, letting his head rest against the trunk of the tree. “Rose has been ordering me around all morning, making me try different products! I can’t do it anymore! She even made me try some kind of hair dye. Look!” With a movement of his hand, Sorey pushed the hair over his right temple up, fingers separating the tresses almost roughly. There, among all the brown of Sorey’s hair, was a single lock dyed blue, almost as blue as the tips of Mikleo’s own hair. It was striking; once you knew it was there, you couldn’t take your eyes away from it.

Mikleo blinked once, twice. And then he broke out into a laugh, the sound coming from deep in his chest, tiny tears clinging to his eyelashes as his fingers clung to the covers of his book. He couldn’t stop, not when he could still picture in his head Sorey’s distressed face and that single, bright blue tress amidst his brown hair.

“Hey!” Sorey shouted, batting the back of his hand against Mikleo’s arm. “Don’t laugh, Mikleo!”

“I just— hahaha —Your hair is blue!”

“Well, so is yours!”

Mikleo elbowed Sorey once more, softer this time. “Yes, but mine isn’t like that because I don’t know how to say no.”

A small pout bloomed on Sorey’s lips, making him look away. “You’re as mean as her.”

“I don’t know why you sound so surprised.” Mikleo replied, opening his book again. He was pretty sure that wasn’t the page he had last read, but he didn’t really care. He raised a hand to get rid of the tears in his eyes.

By his side, Sorey sighed. He seemed subdued but not sad; if anything, Mikleo’s laughing fit had seemed to put it him a better mood than the one he was before. “I just want some peace and quiet, I guess.” Sorey admitted in the end, lowering himself until his shoulder was pressed perfectly against Mikleo’s. “Rose is nice, but she’s also—“

“Loud?”

“—Insistent.”

Mikleo shook his head, eyes moving from Sorey down to his book. “You can stay with me for a bit, if you want. But in silence.”

Sorey’s whole face lightened up, his smile blinding like the sun. “Mikleo—!”

“Don’t expect me to defend you if she comes looking for you, either.” Mikleo quickly added, turning a page nonchalantly. “You got yourself into this mess, _Shepherd._ ”

Sorey looked away, muttering “I’m the Shepherd, not a guinea pig” as he did so. But he did fall silent after that, slightly leaning his weight on Mikleo as he played idly with the blades of grass between his knees. Mikleo regarded him from the corner of his eye for a long moment, and then went back to his book.

It was… nice, to be like this with Sorey again. Really nice. Mikleo could almost pretend they were back in Elysia, relaxing after a hard day of chores and practices, or after a peculiarly long expedition. They used to read like this often, together, resting on the shade or simply lounging in one of their homes, rolling around the wooden floor looking for the perfect position. Mikleo missed that easiness, kind of regretted taking it for granted.

But this wasn’t bad, either. This moment of quietness in the middle of their adventure gave Mikleo an excuse to appreciate these moments with Sorey even more; moments with just the two of them being like they always had been. Not the Shepherd and his Sub-lord.

Just Sorey and Mikleo. Nothing more, nothing else.

A soft bump on his shoulder made Mikleo look up. Sorey had let his head fall on Mikleo’s shoulder, eyes closed, breathing soft… Asleep. His hair swayed in the breeze, tickling Mikleo’s cheek and making him smile.

Mikleo bumped his cheek softly on the top of Sorey’s head. “Idiot,” he said fondly, nuzzling against Sorey’s hair softly. He hesitated for a second, but then he left a kiss on the warm skin of Sorey’s forehead, quick and barely there, but still a kiss nonetheless. It was easy to be affectionate with Sorey, but more so if he was asleep. “If you were tired you should have gone to bed…”

“I’m not sleepy though…?”

Mikleo went all tense. He had thought Sorey was fast asleep, no longer aware of what was going on around him… But by the smile he had on his face when he lifted his head from Mikleo’s shoulder he had been awake all the time.

And he had felt it when Mikleo had kissed his forehead.

“Sh—shut up!” Mikleo shouted, feeling heat creep up to his cheeks from his neck. It was suddenly too hot.

“I didn’t even say anything yet!” Sorey exclaimed back, clearly amused by Mikleo’s reaction. He was sparkling once again, his eyes both sweet and mischievous.

“Good!” Mikleo shouted, moving away from Sorey.

But Sorey’s smile became a smirk, and his arms quickly found their way around Mikleo, keeping him close. “Aw, come on, don’t be mad! That was so cute!”

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Oh, you don’t? I was talking about the kiss on my—“

Mikleo hit Sorey as much as he could with the book, twisting in the circle of Sorey’s arms around him. “Shut it, that didn’t happen!”

Sorey laughed out loud, into the crook of Mikleo’s neck. “Yes it did, and it was super cute!”

It seemed impossible, but Mikleo blushed even harder. “Whatever.”

“Sorey!” A voice shouted suddenly in the distance, making both boys snap their heads up in tandem. Rose was waving her arm over her head from the door of the barn, trying to grab Sorey’s attention. “Sorey, come here! I need you to help me with something!”

“Oh, nooooo…” Sorey groaned, hiding himself again on Mikleo’s shoulder. “How did she find me?”

“You deserve it.” Mikleo said, still feeling his skin hot.

“Oh, come on, you laughed at me first!”

“So you admit you were laughing at me!”

Sorey shook Mikleo a little, still not letting go. “That wasn’t—!”

“Sorey!” Rose called again, more urgent this time. “Please!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Sorey shouted back, thankfully remembering to move away so as not to scream in Mikleo’s ear. However, he soon moved back in close, flashing a too-sweet smile towards Mikleo, who immediately turned defensive.

“Shouldn’t you be leaving?” Mikleo wondered, one eyebrow raised, body tense as he waited for an answer.

“I am.” Sorey replied solemnly. “But first—!”

He cut himself by tackling Mikleo to the ground, pinning him to the grass with the weight of his body and making him laugh by tickling his sides. His fingers quickly found all of Mikleo’s ticklish spots, abusing them until Mikleo could barely breathe from his laughter, his blush now more intense from his fighting against Sorey.

“Admit you kissed me on the forehead just now!”

“I did no—“ Another attack made Mikleo burst out laughing, his words swallowed up by the sound of it. “I—I— Okay, fine, fine! I admit it!”

With a sound of victory, Sorey ceased his attack, smiling brightly down at Mikleo with shiny eyes. “See, it wasn’t that hard!”

“I’m so going to—“

In the blink of an eye, Sorey swopped down to kiss Mikleo on the forehead, right between his eyes and a little upwards. Mikleo froze as he felt Sorey’s lips on his skin, his body unable to function while a nice and warm sensation filled every nerve in his body.

But Sorey quickly moved up, a soft blush of his own on his cheeks as he looked down at Mikleo once again. He didn’t seem to notice Mikleo’s started eyes, or the way he had gone both still and pliant under him.

“Now we’re even.” Sorey whispered, so low that Mikleo wouldn't have heard him had they not been at mere inches from each other.

In the distance, Rose shouted once more, bringing them back to the present. “Oh, come on Sorey! Hurry!”

In the next exhalation, Sorey was gone from on top of Mikleo, throwing a “See you later!” over his shoulder as he ran towards Rose.

Mikleo stayed still over the grass, laying down with his gaze lost in the green sea of leaves overhead, and the rays of light that filtered through.

His skin felt too warm — but nothing compared to the spot on his forehead Sorey had kissed.

_He’s going to be the end of me,_ Mikleo thought, shaking his head.

There was no way he was going back to that boring book now.


End file.
